I took my cat to the vet today (and let me give a shout out to North DeKalb Vet Clinic!)
It was time for his yearly exam, and of course, as required by law, rabies vaccine. I discussed with his vet how I would prefer to opt out by testing his antibody level, but sadly, this is not allowed in DeKalb County, GA. Even if it were an option it is (for me) prohibitively expensive, as it costs about $400 to get the antibody level.
However, my cat's vet uses Purevax as the rabies vaccine. He made a point of saying it is not adjuvanated with aluminum. And he was emphatic that he REFUSES to use any vaccine with aluminum in it - because of the side effects caused by the aluminum (ie: tumors at the injection site).
Let that sink in: HE REFUSES TO USE ANY VACCINE WITH ALUMINUM IN IT!!
Yet in vaccines for humans there are multiple vaccines with aluminum and not a care in the world that there might be undesired side effects (well, vaccines are safe and effective after all!) - but if a person is in a hospital receiving IV fluid or medication, or on hyperalimentation (being fed through an intravenous port) - tracking how much aluminum they are receiving and limiting it is all too important.
If the FDA says it is not safe to inject >25mcg (25 micrograms) of aluminum/day (for an infant), then why would it be safe to inject 500mcg (.5 milligrams) into a newborn on the day of birth (the Hepatitis B vaccine) - especially if this newborn's mother does not have Hepatitis B?!
In the bizarro world of human vaccines, no ingredient is unsafe, no amount is too much. But we have to protect our animals from the very same substances?
None of the above is rational, and we deserve far better. If we can make vaccines better and safer for our animals I am confident we can do the same for humans. The best scenario is one in which the product is safer, and also effective - and where people can determine for themselves whether they will or will not use the product.
A blog to discuss vaccines, and to promote personal choice in the decision to accept, or decline vaccination.
It is bizarre. I wonder if we can get a vet to write a medical exemption in those states where there is mandatory vaccinations like California.Seem they understand the risks of vaccination more clearly.
ReplyDeleteHi Ted - vaccines are not the only issue where cognitive dissonance reigns and that is why it should not surprise us that there are better, safer vaccines for animals.
DeleteI can't imagine a vet would write an exemption for a human - and we should not resort to this anyway. It should not be necessary for anyone to even consider this because we should have the right to decide for ourselves which vaccines, if any, we receive. No exemption should be necessary.